


Red Marks, Shame, and Phil

by theentityyousee



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arranged Marriage, Fun, Multi, Right?, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, and more things revolving around housework, but with less things oriented around sex, like omegaverse, so this is a not well thought out soulmate AU that popped into my head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9180601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theentityyousee/pseuds/theentityyousee
Summary: Dan was born with a red name on his wrist. It said ‘Philip Michael Lester’ on it, so Philip Michael Lester’s family was contacted and a wedding date was set.Phil’s own mark is blue, and so are both his parents’. He’s never been exposed to any red-markers before, and is appalled at how they're treated when he meets Dan.





	1. Red, Blue, and an Arranged Marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m proud of this so far, even though I know it’s not much and I wrote it in two hours. I think I explained the AU well enough (over-explained, really) in the chapter, but feel free to comment any questions; I will reply.
> 
> Warnings: None for this chapter other than the four year age gap, which is a common thing irl too...

“Daniel, it’s simply not done. No.”

“C’mon Auntie! I’m getting married tomorrow. Let me have this much fun at least.”

“Not a chance. You’re getting married tomorrow, as you pointed out. Why don’t you act _proper_ and get prepared?”

“Ugh. Why do I have to get married anyway? I don’t even know the guy.”

“He’s your soulmate. It’s the rule. Don’t even think of getting out of this.”

Dan harrumphs a final time at his aunt and sole caregiver, before sarcastically muttering,“wouldn’t dream of it,” under his breath and turning away before her glare meets his eyes. All he wants to do is stop by the public garden before he’s shipped off to be married. Is that too much to ask for?

It’s not fair. Who invented this stupid system? Because of it, he had been born with a ‘red mark.’ It meant his soulmate’s name appeared on him in a dark red color. It was a shameful thing in his mind, marking him as a person assigned to take care of the home and tend to children and not be seen in public. Those with red marks were jeered at as worthless for anything besides being at home; indeed, it not customary to be out of home with a red mark.

His aunt is a perfectly lovely person. Really, she treated him well in their household of two, since she had never had a mark herself. He questioned it once, and her reply sated him enough to never ask again.

“Some people aren’t meant to feel love in that way, Daniel. Someday, you’ll fall in love with ‘Philip Lester.’ I never will have a Philip of my own. I’m not missing out on anything, I’m rather glad, truly. I don’t think I ever want to love anyone else again after…that.”

She meant his parents. They’d been soulmates and totally in love. His aunt doted on her sister and her husband, her child too. Then they’d died in a house fire and Dan’d been passed off to his aunt. Her sister and brother-in-law’s deaths had absolutely destroyed destroyed her, and although she tried her best for Dan, his disbelief in the whole ’soulmate’ system stemmed from her not having one.

“Daniel! Behave.”

So he sits still in his taxi, clasped hands, and stares out the window at all the countryside and urban cityscape he has never seen. This is his second trip outside, the first being from his parents' home to his aunt’s home when he was a baby.

Well, once he'd gone out onto the street to chase a small red bouncy ball, but was yelled at by the neighbors when they saw the red on his arm.

"Get inside, pest!" They had said. "You are far too old to be playing with toys now, pick up a broom and start cleaning. Your poor aunt has no red-marker of her own, the very least you could do is keep her home nice for her."

Five-year-old Dan had been petrified, and run crying to his aunt. She held him tight as he wept, wiped his tears and given him a glass of water. Then she told him about the world.

"You see, Daniel, people with red names on their arm such as you are not meant to play outside. It is their job to clean the house and cook. When you have children you will take care of them. Your mother had a red mark too. Your father, on the other hand, had your mother's name in blue written across his arm. It was his job to take care of your mother and go out and make money. When he came home every night, they were together. That is how soulmates work."

"When will I meet mine?"

"When you are both sixteen, as is the custom. Any younger and you are not capable of responsible choices as a couple."

By then, any thoughts in his mind of his red ball were out of his mind. "Auntie?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"Why can't I go outside?"

"Because your job is within the household."

And that, he understood, was the end of the conversation. Aside from the rocky dirt in the backyard, he never played outside. He was okay with it, there were more than enough things to do indoors. When he turned fifteen, he'd been given a laptop. He read about the functions of marks in society and learned to never question his. The tutor stopped coming by, and then he was sixteen, ready to be married off.

Now, for the last time, he fantasizes about his soulmate. By tomorrow night, they'll have not only met, but gotten married too. He shivers at the thought. If his books have taught him anything, it's that his married life will be like his old one, but with more sex.

He falls asleep against his aunt and his subconscious tries not to wander to dark thoughts of a mean old man named Philip. He needn't worry, he tells himself. His aunt has said that Philip is a good looking and kind man similar to Dan in age.

It's not much relief, but he'll take it. They're soulmates after all, they'll end up in love. That's what soulmates do, right?

—

Phil’s nearly dozed off in class again. The only thing keeping him awake is the thought of the next day, when he’s going to be married. To his soulmate. He’s only waited twenty years for this.

“Hey Phil?”

“Hm?” He turns to face his friend Oli, with whom he shares this class, and who looks frantic for his attention.

“What’s Hamilton talking about now? I was sleeping.”

“I was trying to do the same.”

“Sorry for disturbing that then, mate.” Oli turns to the girl next to him, who is also on the verge of dozing off. “Hey Ashley?”

Phil rolls his eyes and tries to refocus on the boring lecture in his obligatory class. He needs to pass this or he won’t get his degree and that wouldn’t be good, would it? Professor Hamilton rants on about old poetry, which might be interesting during a different time of day. As it is, at six in the morning, no one cares about anything but their next fix of a university student’s drug of choice- caffeine.

“…as I’m sure many of you are aware. Just extreme cases this type of poetic structure is passed as prose, but generally it is appreciated as poetry. Moving forward to the seventeenth century, the civil movements happening worldwide made the style taboo amongst blue-markers. That’s 54% of the planet’s population. As you can guess from previous history lessons you all have taken, this made a huge impact in the treatment of those with red marks. We as a species have evolved perfectly for these two social classes to fit together smoothly: provider and caretaker. The poetic influence on this time period was greatly contributed to by William Louke Kirk, who’s style of writing is said to make the reader feel like they are about to perform a tiring task, and I will pass out a piece by him to you all right now. Process what you are reading and write a two-thousand word analysis. I trust the poems will grant you enough material to cite an overthink about, they are often criticized for being so lengthy. They will be due next Thursday so feel free to start soon. I have attached a different focus prompt to each sheet and expect each topic to be _thoroughly researched_ and _well written_. This is a basic English class for people getting degrees in some subset of English, so I’m not accepting crap. I’m looking at you, Mr. Mortimer.”

Oli’s head shoots up at the mention of his last name, the whole class giggles a little, and then papers are handed out. Packing his bag, Phil’s eyes land for the trillionth time on ‘Daniel Howell’ printed in blue across his arm. Everyone here has a blue tattoo or no tattoo in some cases. Red-markers aren’t allowed here, since there’s no point. They’re tutored at home, where they can do chores.

Sometimes Phil wonders at the unfairness of it all, how red-markers aren’t even allowed out of their homes much, but then he recalls his own dysfunctional family. His mother and father both have blue marks, which is great for finances, but neither of them is capable of taking care of a home, because frankly, that would be a disaster. They instead hire a ‘home worker,’ a blue-marked person who is capable of housework. There aren’t many. 

There is something that blocks much domestic work in those with blue marks. The names begin to burn up. On the contrary, red-markers’ marks never burn, but they are kept at home in order to preserve some work habit equality. It is not acceptable for a person with a red name to be seen outside, and that is an established fact.

The real injustice comes from not being allowed to shop or go out and see movies, or eat at a restaurant or stargaze. If the red-marker has their parents or soulmate with them, then it’s established that they have permission for the outing. But alone? Forget it.

The class is dismissed, and Oli and Phil make their way to the field just north of the hall. It’s a convenient place for their group of friends to meet.

Oli is greeted with a kiss from his wife, and Phil averts his eyes in disgust. Watching people make out would squick anyone out. Like Phil’s parents, Oli and his wife both have blue marks. They’re the same age and so were married young, although Phil knows that outside of their society’s strict customs regarding marriage age, many places simply let soulmates find each other. He’s heard so many stories from other countries of parties of people going door to door to search for their soulmates.

He knows Daniel lives across the country and wonders how long they’d take to meet if left to their own devices.

The sun is shining, so he tries to shake the ‘problematic’ thoughts from his mind and enjoy his last day as a single man. He laughs, eats, goes to another class while being jealous of the friends who have an off day or simply no afternoon classes, and crashes at home. Then he spends hours laying on his bed and staring at the garment bag in his gaping closet, knowing that inside lies a crisp dark blue suit. A suit that he’ll be wearing tomorrow when the rest of his life begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> probs misspelled a bunch, since typing sideways is hard. Too lazy to proof read so....


	2. Apparently I'm Supposed to Marry You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil meets Dan... and sparks don't exactly fly,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my? Is she ever going to _actually ___update on Monday rather than 1 am PST Tuesday? Nope.

Dan's taxi arrives late in the night. When he wakes up, it's because his aunt has stood up and started talking to the driver. She grabs his trunks and his hand once she sees he's awake, hands a wad of bills to the driver, and then thanks him as they climb out together. Dan is groggy and not entirely sure what's happening, but he knows he's expected to do something, so he grabs a bag and heads into the hotel.

The doorbell tinkles as he enters. "You runnin' away, eh red?" Asks the receptionist. He's an old, mean-looking, burly man who looks like a cat peed in his supper and he can still taste it. "Sorry, we don't serve those types around here." Dan's caught between picking a fight or explaining, neither of which are good ideas in his sleepy state, when his aunt walks in.

"He's with me, sir."

Instantly the man's demeanor changes. "Sorry ma'am, didn't know. Can never be too careful these days, eh? Them liberal types petitioning left and right to let red marker's go outside. They have work inside, dammit! What's the bloody _point_ to letting them out alone?"

His aunt just glares at the man and checks them in, while he continues ranting in about the function of people like Dan in society and how it's wrong to let them out. Of course, this is what his tutors and everyone says. He's inclined to agree. As much as he'd like to go out alone sometimes, he's sure Philip will let him from time to time. Generally people with parents and married people get to go outside on errands and for fun as long as they’re with that parent or spouse, and Dan's just at a disadvantage due to his parents being dead.

"People like him just make me mad," his aunt tells him as they climb the stairs. "We all know everyone's proper place, and there've been no major rebellions or opposition at all since two hundred years ago. We don't need him dictating us. And could he be any more crude about the matter?"

Dan shakes his head no. Handing him the bag in her right hand, she unlocks the hotel room and tells Dan to go to sleep. "Tomorrow's a big day after all. You have a breakfast date with Philip in the morning."

So he sleeps.

—

Phil’s day has gone by extremely slowly. He doesn’t like the idea of an arranged marriage very much, even though he’s seen very many of his married-to-their-soulmate friends head over heels in love. Despite that, the idea that he’s going to bed tonight in his dinky off-campus flat with someone else is very unnerving and something he wants a bit of a say in.

_For god’s sake. You’re twenty, get over it. This was a long time coming._

He can only console himself a little bit. Who ever said he was good at encouraging himself?

_This is supposed to be a happy occasion. I bet Daniel is looking forward to this._

Nope. This consolation thing is _not_ working at all. Right now he’s sitting in a taxi heading to the main part of town where there’s a hotel and he’s to meet his soulmate this morning. He meets the receptionist, a tough looking man, who he tells he’s here for a reservation, and should have been checked in last night? He makes sure to casually drop the fact that he’s meeting his soulmate for the first time, and suddenly the man is readily dropping information on the red-marker boy and a woman who had come in yesterday. “Ms. Jonathan and her boy were the only two to check in yesterday, s’not holiday’s time yet, you know?”

Ms. Jonathan? It isn’t Howell, but it has to be Daniel. Part of him is concerned about being stood up or something, but that makes no sense. This is a legal matter, not something you can just stand someone up on. Instead, he heads up the two flights of stairs to the first floor, and knocks on the door to the room he’s been told they’re in.

A woman who looks like she’s in her mid-thirties opens the door. Her eyes widen in both surprise and realization as soon as she sees Phil, then they brighten up and she invites him in, shushing him. There’s a small hotel-typical kitchen off to his left, and a couch, TV, and closed door to the right.

She gestures to the closed door, which Phil has taken to be a bedroom since there’s no bed in the main room. “Daniel’s sleeping in there right now. I didn’t think you’d be here until later so I didn’t bother waking him… he usually wakes up earlier for chores and stuff but today’s his wedding, you know? Of course you know, he’s marrying you. I-“ She stops, realizing she’s rambling. “I’m sorry. Uh, you’d be Mr. Philip Lester, right?”

“Yes, I am. Although just call me Phil.”

“Alright, Philip. I’m Diane Jonathan, Daniel’s aunt.”

He doesn’t bother to fix his name to Phil when she says Philip, it’s not worth it. He just hopes Daniel doesn’t do the same thing. He doesn’t know how he could ever be expected to fall in love with someone who calls him Philip.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Um, I’m allowed to just sit around in this room, right? I don’t really have anywhere else to go in town.”

“Of course. You’re marrying my nephew, he may as well get used to waking up with you in the house.” She smiles at him, and he lets out an awkward laugh and tries to not overthink that statement. There’s going to be a fucking teenager living in his apartment with him and they’ll be married… he’s marrying a child! It’s never bugged him this much before, but the fact that Daniel is only sixteen comes rushing to his head. Maybe if they’d met when they were both older it wouldn’t be as much of a big deal but as it is, Daniel is a child, and Phil remembers four years ago when he was that terrible, terrible age.

With another, more genuine smile, he nods at her and allows himself to be led to the sofa and they both take a seat. He feels uncomfortable. Letting Daniel’s aunt take lead in the conversation, he just sits back and adds in the appropriate sound effects to their talk.

“We didn’t think you’d get here for another hour or two, planned to meet you for breakfast, right?”

“Yes, well, I asked for the room when I saw no one in the dining hall so it’s fine, no time wasted.”

“I suppose. Daniel should be waking up soon, considering the time he slept last night and how much he usually sleeps. He’s a heavy sleeper, you know? He sleeps through everything. Once a bit of construction was going on, and he slept through the noise and even that same morning when the walls were shaking from that a bit a book fell off the shelf onto his back and he stayed asleep! It’s amazing. I just figure you should know, since you’re going to live with him and all,” a little bit… nervously? She tells him about Dan.

 _Of course she’s nervous! Her literal nephew is getting married to me, and then she won’t live with him anymore_ , he decodes within his head.

“He’s looking forward to this, you know? He’s lived with no one but me and the tutor that came by for fifteen years. He’d love to make some new friends. I’m not allowed to take him out, you see. Legally, I’m his guardian but the soulmate laws don’t let me… no blue mark on me. No mark at all, really.”

Phil can tell. It’s sort of like an aura, you can’t just mask the name’s color. 

“His parens died when he was young, and, to be honest, it’s still hurting me more than it ever hurt me… he was just a baby, really. I’m kind of glad he was so young, less heartbrea-”

“Auntie?” Both Phil and Diane turn to the source of the sound, which is the bedroom door opening. “Who’re you talking to?”

There’s a boy who Phil assumes is Daniel standing in the doorway, sleepily rubbing at his eyes. _He’s adorable,_ thinks Phil.

“Daniel, this is Philip. Philip Lester, in case the name rings no bells? He’s your….”

“Soulmate, right,” Daniel replies, looking up and quirking his head to the side to properly take Phil in. Phil stares in return. Daniel has brown hair and brown eyes and he’s of average height, he has normal facial features, and Phil thinks he looks a little confused as to why Phil’s in his hotel room.

“Hi! I’m Phil, just call me Phil.”

“Yeah, I’m just Dan too.” Phil notes his voice. It’s higher than his was at this age, and stuffed with tiredness. “Sorry about my aunt, she’s got something against nicknames.”

Phil simply offers him a lopsided smile in return, not quite sure what to say.

Diane stands up abruptly. “Well, that’s you two sorted. I brought some tea for the stay since I wasn’t sure if they’d have it here so I’m off. To make tea, that is. Would you like some, Philip?”

“No thanks. Had some coffee on the way here. I’m more of a coffee guy.”

“Alright then. Dan, you?”

“Always.”

“Okay. You two talk a bit, I promise I won’t listen.” She sends a knowing smile and a wink, and out of the corner of his eyes, Phil sees Dan roll his eyes.

Dan crosses over to the spot on the sofa that Diane has just gotten up from. He scoots himself all the way to the side, curling into a ball as far from Phil as he can get.

All of a sudden, Phil’s giddy. He’s actually in a _hotel room_ with his _soulmate_ and he’d like to make the most of their first meeting. You can only make first impressions once, right?

“So… we’re getting married tonight,” he starts, drawing out his syllables and staring at his toes. _Great start, Phil_ , he reprimands himself.

“Yup.”

“Um. My flat is pretty small, so you know… I hope you like the downgrade from the mansion I’m sure you currently live in.”

He’s still failed to make Dan smile, although he blames his poor attempt at an already poor joke. A _hmm_ is all he gets in response, and then they’re both sitting in the fog of an uncertain future with the stranger beside them.

Neither of them is sure they like it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect this chapter to be so useless. I wanted them married, dammit! Then I remembered they still had to meet. O.o small detail. Expect another 2-3 chapters quite a bit longer than these two, I update Mondays (to balance the 15 million Sat, Sun, and Wed updates, y'know) but it's actually always 1 am Tuesday, and please comment. Thanks!


	3. This Whole "Wedding" Thing is Overrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan wakes up to a strange man in is hotel room, and falls asleep on that same man's couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is longer than my other chapters, since I really wanted to cram a wedding into here, so sorry if it's really rushed. I did write most of it today since I'm lazy af. Also, posting at three AM? Why not?

Dan wakes up to the sound of his aunt talking and a male voice occasionally speaking up.

He’s gone outside to see who it is, and is more than a little confused. In his defense, he’s not expecting anyone else here right now. He’s never expecting anyone anyway, but in this hotel room? Never in a million years.

Introductions are made. Dan finds himself staring at his soulmate; a tall, attractive man with black hair and a kind smile. It feels like something out of a movie, really, that he's going to meet new people. He's so socially deprived.

His aunt goes out to make him some tea that’ll maybe wake him up a little. He hopes that maybe they’ll slip into happy excited conversation as soulmates are wont to do, but there’s nothing. No excitement, no instant _feelings_ , no overwhelming sensation to strike up a random banter about nothing.

They just sit in complete silence- Phil wide awake and Dan barely conscious- with the heavy weight of tonight’s plans perching on every one of their senses. He’s pushed himself into a corner of the couch, not quite sitting but not quite curled into himself either.

So. This man is to be his soulmate. He’s about to say as much, but then remembers that Phil already did that mere moments earlier. So much for a conversation starter. Dan curls further into his ball of warmth, but now his toes stick out from under his arms, cold in the hotel room. His eyes are shut and he swears he’s not going to sleep, but he drifts in and out of a sleepy trance anyway.

Phil makes some more ‘jokes,’ just dumb comments that Dan would laugh at if he wasn’t so sleepy and generally feeling off. It takes another five minutes or so of silence before Dan finally speaks up.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be? I just want to make you smile a bit.”

Dan grumbles a bit more and curls into a super tight ball, making his breathing more that a little difficult, but it’s worth it. He can just barely see Phil’s face, and stares.

The way Phil looks at Dan when he curls into his ball makes Dan blush and curl even further into his couch corner. He should probably have expected it, after all, these butterflies and this adrenaline is 'romance,' right? Romance is an emotional high, and Dan's flustered right now for no good reason, so he pins it on that word. Romance. Do they have romance between them? Dan hopes they do. Of course he’s heard the far too many stories of abusive soulmates that defend themselves with ‘romance,’ and the soulmates that claim it physically hurts to be apart, and he has never once heard of a couple with no chemistry and romance at all.

Then Phil goes back to looking away and tapping his feet nervously. Dan feels as if he's the one who should be nervous, but he feels oddly confident right now. Possibly it’s the sneaky face staring. Not confident enough to actually make conversation with Phil, however.

Eventually Dan's aunt saves them from the inevitably endless silence, handing him his tea and grinning knowingly at him. "So, you boy's getting on well then? I remember when your parents met they talked so much! Oh, there was never a lull in the conversation I swear they'd go on for ages...."

 _Never a lull in their conversation?_ Dan muses somewhat bitterly. _This 'conversation’ is nothing_ but _a giant lull._

It feels like mere moments later that his cup is empty and his aunt is taking it back to the sink to rinse off. He's not only opened up his ball, but also moved far closer to Phil. There's barely a millimeter of space between them now.

On a whim, he grabs Phil's right arm, the one that's closest to him, and inspects his name written in blue on it. He's only ever seen a blue mark online before, which hardly counts. The mark is like Dan's, only the thin letters have different penmanship, and it's. Dan has _Philip Michael Lester_ written in jagged red on his left arm, somewhat like a cut.

The name on Phil's arm looks like an injury as well, only if Phil had blue flesh. The thought sends Dan into a fit of giggles, imagining him walking about with blue flesh, perhaps covering it with some or another cosmetic, or perhaps using his obvious inherent blue-ness to take over the world.

“What’s so funny?”

“Th- the mark. Your mark. I mean, it’s blue. I’ve only seen one before that was blue.”

“Oh? I’ve never seen one red one.”

“Mine is….”

Phil grins and reaches for Dan’s left arm, but Dan’s already holding it up. “Goodness. It looks a bit like an injury, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but yours does too.”

“If only I had blue skin.”

“’S’ why I was I was laughing.”

“Alright then.”

Once again they relapse into silence, but it’s more comfortable now. Dan’s arm is still on Phil’s lap, and he takes the extra step to lean his head onto Phil’s shoulder. He feels Phil momentarily tense up and goes to lift his head up, but then Phil moves his right arm behind Dan’s shoulder and holds him closer. Dan snuggles in a bit more, and falls into a brief sleep that feels like it lasts forever but is really only the two minutes until his aunt comes to discuss the exact details of tonight with Phil.

“Oh, sorry Dan, were you still sleeping?”

“No, no, sorry, Auntie.” His sentence is punctuated with a yawn, and even without, she knows him well enough to know that yes, he was sleeping.

“Alright then. Phil, we booked the office down on Johnson’s if you’ve seen it?”

“Yes, I drove up from there.”

She nods her understanding. “That’s the University side, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Right. So we’ll be getting ready here, your mum and dad have checked in to confirm that they’ll be there by three, and we should be set! Up now, you two! You’ve got to get showered and dressed and all that other stuff.”

Phil hastily agrees with her plan as she heads into the bedroom and Dan hears the zipper of their suitcase opening. Phil is gently prying Dan off of him, releasing his clingy and sleepy fingers from his shirt after moving his own arm from behind Dan. At first, Dan groans in protest and snuggles closer, but eventually wakes up enough to realize he’s snuggling a near stranger, soft as he might be, and practically jumps out of his seat and to his bag lying on the other end of the room, near the kitchen. There’s one more bag inside, and a box as well, since his entire life is essentially being shifted to Phil’s dorm, but he’s fairly sure this is the one with his straighteners.

He locks himself into the bathroom, running himself a quick shower and straightening his hair. It wasn’t that bad when he woke up, thank goodness, so Phil’s first impression of him was not full on hobbit, but he would like to look nicer for his fucking _wedding_.

His aunt leaves him alone to change into his suit in the bedroom, and when he looks at himself in the mirror, he reminds himself of those young children wearing fancy clothes, which he supposes he is. He looks like he’s ten.

“I’m here to check on you, okay?” Phil’s voice precedes him. The door creaks open, and Phil walks in, looking professional and hot and _adult_ in his suit. “You look ten.”

“Shut up.”

“No, really! Why’d you straighten your hair? It looked cute before.”

Dan just sticks his tongue out at Phil.

He can see Phil roll his eyes and mutter, “teenagers,” under his breath, and as Phil leaves the room, he makes sure to stick his tongue at him again. He can tell Phil sees it when he scoffs, slamming the door behind him.

Dan pulls the ugliest face he can and slumps onto the bed. It’s two in the afternoon, and he is ready to get the hell out of this stupid hotel. Standing up after a moment, he heads out into the main room. He’s the last one to get ready, his aunt in a red gown with her hair piled up on her head, and Phil looking a bit manic what with his hair disheveled and tie crooked.

“Finally, Daniel! We’d been waiting.”

He bites back a sarcastic response, and instead, as politely as he can, says “Sorry, sorry,” and opens the door for Phil and his aunt, who are holding his luggage. They clamber onto a taxi that’s been stationed outside the hotel, who shoots them a knowing smile and says, “wedding party, eh? I’d know one anywhere. Five daughters can teach ya a lot.”

Dan’s a bit horrified at the thought of having a single kid, much less _five_ , but he’s young and only a child himself; he may or may not change his mind later, but it’s hardly a concern now. Right now, he just wants to sink into his seat and against Phil, and space out. _Don’t. Think. About. Home._ He chides himself and his homesickness. _Don’t you dare._

—

Phil’s family seems pleasant enough, although his older brother’s girlfriend babies Dan and he’s not too keen on that. The Lesters are not a very coordinated family unit, what with both parents and the children both being blue-markers. Even the girlfriend has a blue mark, and Dan is amazed that they don’t want to murder him for ruining an all blue family. Then again, that’s not really a thing to be proud of. Some red-markers are needed to keep balance.

The ceremony goes by quickly. His aunt sheds a tear and Phil’s mum does as well. They’ve been quietly talking to each other through the whole thing, and Dan feels a surge of warmth in his chest at the idea of them getting on well.

That’s nothing compared to the heat in his chest when Phil kisses him. It’s a light one, but he feels an intense pressure release in his chest and understands just what it must be like to have a soulmate, you know, one you’re actually comfortable with. It’s relieving. He wants to maybe kiss Phil some more but at the same time, Phil pulls away and he remembers that he’s in a public place.

Their families are applauding, which makes Dan blush and Phil covers his face with his hands to mask the small laugh that escapes him. They eat cake at some fancy restaurant nearby, Dan switching between ogling Phil and drinking up his surroundings. The night air is freezing, but he’s never experienced it before and his face hurts from grinning as well as the cold.

Happy wishes are sent their way, and then they’re sent off back to the hotel, where Dan’s aunt gets a taxi home, and Dan and Phil go to his flat in his car. Marriage is a very personal matter, and once Phil’s family is sent home, there is no one else.

Dan has never really had this much excitement in his life and quickly falls asleep in the passenger seat, although he tells himself he needs to stay up and enjoy the nighttime. Exhaustion always wins out in the end.

Phil looks over his sleeping form and smiles, wanting to pull him closer, but alas, he’s driving. Dan laughs in his sleep as they park, and Phil doesn’t wake him up until he’s been carried up the lift to the second floor, as far as it goes. Pretty useless for only going up two floor, but that’s what you get in a shitty apartment building where they throw new floors onto pre-existing ones and then haphazardly adding in another random flight of stairs where it fits. Nothing’s right, the whole building’s screwed up, and Phil is not dragging Dan up four flights of stairs.

He’s woken up sufficiently by the time Phil unlocks the door and switches on the light, enough to notice he plushes and pillow and go,”Dude. Pokemon! I’m in love with you for sure now!” Phil laughs at the comment even though it makes him a bit uncomfortable.

“Well, we’ll finally have something to talk about. In the morning. Right now you go lay on the sofa and I’ll bring a blanket. I don’t have a spare room…” _and I don’t think we’re really at the ’sleeping together’ point yet._ He adds silently.

Dan crashes immediately despite his initial half-hearted protests. Phil crawls under his own duvet thinking about how much warmer his bed could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter? With them in town? And then maybe more if anyone requests it, but probably not.  
> Tumblr: theentityyousee.tumblr.com  
> ^^^ I made a separate account for fanfiction so I'm not too active there.  
> Check that out for pictures of how I envision them in this fic


	4. NOTICE (it's not bad news tho)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet, I think.

I just transferred the chapter to my laptop to upload it. And deleted it from this iPad that I used to write both the chapter and this notice. Then, I got busted for being up at 12 am because laptop keys go clickity-clack and make noise. So I'll see when I get that laptop back, in the meantime, enjoy my glorious and holy note and know that I have two oneshots almost complete and if I finish one of those tonight, I'll put it up. The one that I'm nearly done with is a sequel to that "I've Seen You Online" fic I posted a while back, since some people asked. Three requests is enough for me. It's gonna have crappy smut though, so be aware of that.

To compensate for this, I will combine the planned final fifth chapter with the fourth, and make it around 2-3k, which is pretty long for me. I planned to make it all one chapter anyway, I just forgot how many words it takes to get from point A to point B; just because the outline says:  
\- they cuddle  
-describe cuddle  
-section change  
-go shopping  
-phil leaves dan for two seconds and someone yells at Dan

does not mean it'll be that easy. It takes nearly a thousand words for me to get from point #1 to point #5 and I forget that sometimes. (Read: all the time). So yeah. Expect it Tuesday/Wednesday, and that sequel oneshot thing next Monday. Enjoy your week!

Has anyone read this far? If you read this far, congratulations on reading... let me check... 251 words (prior to this paragraph) of uselessness. In case you didn't know, the AO3 text box has no word counter, and I'm typing this directly into here so....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Wow. Just wow.


	5. Now We're Supposed To Fall In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have chemistry. Even if it's nothing yet, it will be soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So one week, I had my laptop taken. Then two weeks of being in India without internet. Then getting back on Sunday, staying up all night, and crashing on Monday. As a result, It has taken over a month to update this. Whoops. Hope ya'll enjoy this last bit, it ends awkwardly but I said "screw it" and it's going to stay that way now.

Phil awakes with a jump, noticing something immediately seems different that unusual, and it's not just that he's slept in a suit. It's that he's wearing a suit in the first place. Then he remembers Dan, shooting out of bed to go check on him. He hopes his alarm hasn't woken the boy up.

Dan is calmly sleeping, his hair far more curled than it was yesterday morning, and it suits him. Satisfied that Dan's still asleep, Phil brushes his teeth hastily, already running late for his morning lecture.

He really hates morning lectures. He's just not a morning person, it's another fact of life. Clearly Dan isn't a morning person either, so far as he can tell, and Phil is grateful. He can envision him and Dan, in a couple years, lying in bed together and refusing to get out. Not that Phil's been thinking about these things, of course.

His coffee burns his mouth, he trips while putting on his shoe, and he’s accidentally grabbed one of the stale bagels, but he manages to stumble his way to his class in time. He’s thankful he had the foresight to not drink

The first person he sees in the hall is Ollie.

"Hey! Congratulations on being a married human now. 'Course, your _Daniel_ will never be as good as my darling wife, but you tried."

Phil sticks his tongue out at him good-naturedly. "Shut up. And he's only sixteen, can't be expecting much now, can we?" He's not hurt, but he'd be lying if he said he isn't getting a bit too defensive.

"Caught a young 'un, haven't you?"

"Yup."

Silence falls over the mob of people chittering and they all turn towards the door in apprehension. The short professor walks in, as expected, always late to a point where he's established a new normal, and they spend the next two hours learning about sixteenth century gothic poetry. It's interesting , of course, but there are many places the whole lot of them would rather be.

—

Now that his tutoring has been cut off and he's been relocated, Dan feels the pressing need to continue his education elsewhere. Thankfully, in this day and age, internet is a great resource.

He's signing himself up for one of the many educational programs for red-markers. There's a long test required to place you in a level and with an actual teacher, and he debates taking it, but his lazy side is drowned out by his desire to learn. He knows education is crucial in even red-markers these days. Online jobs are in abundance since blue-markers have to do manual labor and more social, office jobs outside.

It makes Dan a little thankful for being a red-marker. At least his laziness is appeased. He may not be able to go outside, but now he has Phil to help with that.

Phil. He's sitting on Phil's couch, slumped in a manner that would make his aunt shiver in disgust, bent over his laptop. Maybe, once this test business is over, he'll explore. If he goes now, surely he'll never return. He's got a real attention span problem.

—

**_Basic Personal Information (more detailed questions will be asked after Educational Review Test (ERT))_ **

_Full name:_ Daniel James Howell

 _Age (select one):_ < sixteen >

 _Living status (select one):_ < recently married and moved in with soulmate >

 _Future career prospects/interests if over the age of fifteen:_ some sort of public speaking/ announcing, voice acting, editing, law (???)

 _Anything you'd like to add?:_ please don't assign me to some bigot or something.

_Please click_ **_here_ ** _to proceed to ERT. Thank you for choosing to learn with us!_

—

The test takes all day. It's nearly seven in the evening when Dan hits the submit button and his application is officially slapped onto an ever-growing waiting list.

Phil unlocks the door, unfamiliar with the idea of the lights and fan already being on, but definitely not against it. He sees Dan walk into the hallway and greet him, if a bit too cordially for Phil's taste. He swoops the younger boy into a hug in response. Dan momentarily seizes up, and then lets himself be yanked forward and hugs back.

"I kinda missed you," Phil says. "We don't really know each other but...."

"It must be a soulmate thing."

"Yup! Glad to see you get my philosophy."

"I mean, we got matched up for a reason, right?"

“Though… I know a couple or two who get each other, but don't really think the same way, if you get what I mean."

Dan just nods, and Phil feels his shoulder moving with the motion. Clearly, he does think. The same way. He and Phil have this much in common at least, they understand each other. That seems like it should be a bare minimum requirement for being soulmates, but there are often language barriers and general thought process differences as well. Although those couples get along great and are in love, it is a bit difficult to have that tugging desire to be with someone due to the soulmate bond yet not understand them.

"I should get started on cooking something then, huh?" Asks Dan after a moment of silence.

"I can help!" Phil doesn't like that Dan will have to do housework at sixteen. At sixteen, he still had the caretaker picking up after him. _You're only a kid. Although, I guess you're only four years younger than me. And_ very _mature for your age. You look and act eighteen at least. It doesn't stop you from bei_ -

Phil's train of thought is broken by Dan's protest. "Oh, please no. I'd hate for you to get hurt, and cooking in your home for your soulmate is domestic enough for you to get hurt."

Phil grumbles his dissent with Dan's plan to cook something edible for two alone, but says something about homework and pulls away from their hug. He snatches up his bag, and sets off to possibly do some work before Dan inevitably burns the kitchen down.

Dan finds a packet of spaghetti. He can't burn water, right? He has experience cooking, it's a vital lesson in his tutoring. Food is important, especially if you can't afford a lot of it. Both him and Phil are well off though, maybe even more incentive to cook something nice. Phil could be used to "actual good food", something Dan has only brushed the surface if learning about.

There's a bottle of sauce in the cereal half of a cabinet, and a pot on top of the fridge. Dan doesn't question it. Thankfully, forks are in a drawer rather than being stuck to the ceiling, and soon enough, he's chucking noodles into the bubbling water.

Phil comes in with a pencil in his hand and asks Dan how it's going.

"Good."

"Good for you."

"What's wrong?"

"Gothic poetry gives me a headache. What were the people thinking?"

"I wouldn't know now, would I?"

"Suppose not. How's food?"

"Good."

"Talk to me, Dan!"

"What do you want me to say? How about... cute Pikachu slippers and is that a Mario cushion?"

"Yes and yes! See, conversation is great! Do you play much of anything?"

Dan shoots him a dirty look, as if accusing Dan of not being a huge nerd is an insult. "Obviously! I was due to get the next Final Fantasy game soon but I guess we both forgot this all was happening soon."

Phil knows that "we" is Dan and his aunt, and "this all" refers to the the wedding business. "You're in luck, Dan! I've got it in my stack somewhere."

Dan stirs in the tomato sauce and switches off the gas. "At least let's eat first, spaghetti isn't really the sort of food to eat on a sofa while playing games."

"If you insist."

They eat quickly, although Phil does compliment Dan for the food not being being crap, to which Dan replies that it's about as far as his cooking abilities go.

They play well past midnight, since Phil has nothing until two in the afternoon the next day and Dan hasn't cared about his sleep schedule since he was thirteen. They talk about everything too, and by the end of the night, Phil can say he's definitely very close with Dan.

Phil has only just fallen asleep when Dan comes padding into his room, dropping the blankets he's dragged from the living room to Phil's bedroom in the doorway.

"Phil?"

"Uggh."

"Phiiiil!"

"What, Dan?"

"I'm cold and I want to go home."

"But... you _are_ home."

"Nu-huh. To my aunt. I miss her. I had a nightmare, sort of. A flashback? To the fire. I was only a baby but it's scarred into my brain.... And she'd let me sleep next to her so I'd be warm."

"Aww. Okay, come here. I'm not your aunt, but we can cuddle."

"Thank you."

Phil scoots to his right a bit to allow Dan easy access to the bed. He climbs in and instantly shoves one leg under Phil's legs, and the other he hooks over and around Phil's legs. His face remains inches from Phil's chest, and Phil's steady breathing rocks him back and forth a bit.

Again, Phil is nearly asleep when-

"Phil?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like me? Or am I just annoying?”

"Yes, of course I like you! Why?"

"No reason."

He just hugs Phil tighter and attacks him with kisses on the cheek and forehead and eyelids and really, everywhere on his face and neck.

"I like you a lot. A lot a lot.”

Phil is too surprised to answer immediately, and Dan gets worried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Was that too soon?” Dan apologizes frantically. "I'm sorry."

"What? No! No, no, not at all." He pushes Dan slowly back down to his chest, tightens his arms, and gives him a kiss on the forehead.

The next time any of them hears anything, it's the birds fighting at ten in the morning.

—

Three more weeks pass by contently. Then Phil is casually laughs about something stupid he once did in a cinema, and Dan looks a bit wistfully off into the distance. "I've never been to the cinema."

"What? I'm so sorry for you!"

Dan just holds up his left arm in Phil's face. "Really? A college educated man without an ounce of common sense." Understanding lights up Phil's face.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's okay," Dan blurts, before gesturing for Phil to continue.

"We should go shopping. Tomorrow. It'll be... Friday? Okay, day after next then."

"I've never been outside at all. Since my parents are gone and all and it's against the basic laws of society."

"Aww, can't be that bad. I've never seen anything too bad, anyway."

"When I was like eight I chased a ball into the street and my neighbors yelled at me. That's my experience as of yet."

Phil looks astounded. It's very rare that a red-marker goes outside, he's never really seen one before Dan. And he's heard stories of how people act when red-markers go out alone from his friend and the internet, he's laughed along as they regale the tales of their verbal abuse. He knows he would do the same if it came to it.

He just never put two and two together. "I'm really sorry," he says gently.

"'S fine. I was a bit scared, but what else did I expect?"

"I guess I would do the same. Even thinking that makes me feel horrible now."

"Like I said, it's fine. Something's got to scare us into staying inside, right? Otherwise we'd be a dominant race, since you blue lot can't even wash the dishes."

"I do wonder how the hierarchy came to be like this. Like, we should be slaves, us blue-markers."

Dan shrugs. "It's just the way things are now. It wasn't like this in history much, but this is reality. And you can't change that alone."

"I don't want to change things. We're fine, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are."

"Okay then. Sleep?"

"Mhhm." Dan curls up against Phil's chest and they both pretend to sleep, although Phil is actually thinking about his plans to awe Dan with the city, while Dan is mentally compiling every picture of the city he's ever seen. It's a lot, considering the amount he just searches them up to try and fill up the burning need to go outside.

He pretends he doesn't care, but tomorrow he isn't going to hold back at all.

—

Two days can pass by ridiculously slow if you're looking forward to something, and both Dan and Phil have definitely been looking forward to something.

It's finally Saturday, and Phil has set them an alarm so they can get into town early in the morning and make the most of their day. Of course they'll go out again, many times, but first time's the charm, right? He wants Dan's first outing to be enjoyable, and not just an errand run.

That's a perfectly normal wish, and waking up at five to see the sunrise is perfectly normal as well, in theory. In reality, it's Saturday, and trying to make a sixteen-year-old wake up at five is just unrealistic, especially after their late night. Phil should have known better than to allow them to stay up that late, but what's done is done.

Eventually, though, he does manage to drag Dan out of the bed, literally kicking and screaming.

"Shut up! It's gonna be worth it."

"What? Waking me up at like, six in the morning?"

"It's five, actually."

"Even worse!"

Phil drags Dan out the door, up the stairs, out another door, and marches him to the other side of the terrace, before he pushes him down on the pavement and they sit.

"What was the point of this?"

"I wanted you to see the sunrise!" Phil says excitedly. "Then we're going into town like I planned!"

"You're too awake. Did you drown yourself in caffeine or something?"

"Nope! Aren't you excited? At all?"

"I will be. It's too fucking early for this."

"It's never too early for fun."

"Okay, now you're just doing this to be annoying. Go away." He makes shooing motions towards Phil and Phil just smiles.

"It's grating, isn't it? I had a teacher in primary once like this. I didn't know it was possible to be too nice 'til I met her."

"Poor you."

"Watch the sunset with me. It's _romantic_." He emphasizes his last word until there is no way that it could be anything but sarcastic, then explodes into a fit of giggles behind his hand.

Dan is rolling his eyes, fully awake now, and wondering if Phil is high. When he voices his concern, however, he begins to get rather worried that Phil may die from laughter.

They eventually get settled, Dan curled into Phil for warmth, and Phil wrapped around Dan. Sunrise could never look this pretty in pictures, and Dan is secretly glad Phil dragged him out.

—

When they arrive home, Phil makes a huge breakfast. Dan's not sure where he got all this food, because he doesn't recall any recent grocery runs, but accept it without question.

"Eat up. You'll need your energy for today."

Dan doesn't hesitate to stuff his face, and Phil smiles at him fondly before joining in.

It's ten by the time they decide it's probably time to get out and hit the shops.

They walk around downtown very slowly. Dan drinks in everything he can. He knows he was being overdramatic on that car ride many months ago when he thought it would be the last time he ever saw the outside word. He knew he wasn't going to be given to some terrible person who didn't believe in taking him out (probably), nor would he be subjected to a window-less home, but he never really considered this.

Walking around with Phil, his new best friend, on the way to meet some of Phil's friends and visit the city is an alien experience. Phil told him he'd never really seen a red-marker before. Even his friends spouses had barely had much interaction with him, and they were always with their spouse.

Now, the only thing he tells Phil is- "don't you dare leave me." He hopes sincerely that Phil listens, he doesn't want to be traumatized by verbal abuse being thrown at him from random strangers who pass by. He's read far too many horror stories.

They eventually reach a small store that smells strongly of coffee. Phil tells him people frequently meet up in coffee shops, which Dan kind of knew from his vast experience in the online world, but it was nice to have confirmation.

In a booth near the back of the store, a group of friendly-looking people wave them over. Dan waves awkwardly, he really knows nothing of what is proper. Right now, his plan is to cling to Phil tightly.

"Hey there, Phil! I see this must be Dan. He's cute!" Says the blond woman nearest to where he's standing. She ruffles his hair, and part of him wants to growl at her for the unwanted contact.

He's quickly introduced to Louise, Kelsey, Oli, Gloria, Jonathan, David, Lorraine, and Carl. He can only keep two of the names straight in his head.

They all get along great, and Dan starts opening up soon too. By four, everyone has gone. Dan hasn't stopped being awed by everything, though. They eat a very, very late lunch at a small cafe overlooking some trees and a little pond. There are tables out there too, and Dan begs Phil to let them eat out there until Phil gives in.

Then Phil makes a mistake. He goes inside again to get more napkins, leaving Dan outside for only five minutes at most. When he gets back, Dan looks near tears.

"Oh god. What happened."

"There was a man and a woman, and a couple of teenagers! They all yelled at me." He sniffles a few more times. "It's fine. You weren't gone that long, it wasn't bad, I'm fine."

Phil hugs him and places a kiss on his cheek anyway, before using one of his fresh napkins to wipe Dan's face of ketchup and a lone tear. "I'm sorry. You told me not to leave."

"No. I told you it's fine."

Phil shrugs and hugs him again, then the conversation picks up again slowly but surely, until the whole affair is a distant memory. Now Dan is crying of laughter.

—

They window shop a bunch, but end up in a lot of stores as well. A game shop (Dan hyperventilates), a clothes shop ("No Dan, you can't get the leather shirt."), and later in the night, a tea shop. By the time they reach home, Dan is blissfully happy. 

Phil's brain feels mushy every time he looks at him.

Exhaustion overcoming them both after they get into Phil's flat, they change into pajamas and brush their teeth quickly and get into bed. Dan turns to face Phil, yawning once before sleepily tapping his sleeping face.

"Hey Phil?"

"Hmm?"

"I had fun today."

Phil opens his eyes, rimmed with tiredness. "Me too. Go to sleep."

Dan nods once as Phil falls asleep, but finds that although he's desperately tired and sleepy, he can't sleep. He groans and flops over again, cursing his tired body, and stares at his fingers. His mind is rushing at light speed, and he's absurdly warm. He kicks off the duvet. Then he closes his eyes, thinks as hard as he can about a plain white wall, and forces himself into sleep.

* * *

 

The radio is broadcasting loudly, but Dan is too preoccupied with shoving his three-year-old into a shirt. The little girl is blabbering nonsense at an astounding speed and dancing around. She doesn't seem to notice her dad gritting his teeth in frustration.

Phil walks into the room wearing a shit eating grin at Dan's attempts dressing his flailing daughter.

"Poor you. Sof really doesn't cooperate, does she?"

"Shut up." Dan says in a faux venomous voice. "This is why I always make you do it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm the one who has to go through today's doctor visit with her."

"Ooh." Dan scrunched up his face in sympathy. "I forgot. Hah!"

"Whatever. Sofia, baby, stand still so papa can put your shirt on, please."

Sofia pouts, but stands still for long enough for Dan to straighten out her shirt. "Papa? I'm going to the doctor today, y'know?"

"Oh, really?"

"Yep. Imma get a sticker."

Dan smiles at her softly. "What color?"

"Rellow!"

"That's not a color!"

She boops his nose as a response and starts to do up her shoelaces. Dan's eyes widen comically and he jumps to save the laces from their imminent doom as a tangled mess.

She's finally set to go, after fifteen minutes of finding her coat (her fault for dragging it everywhere behind her then leaving it in odd places).

Dan sits at the dining table of his nice house with Phil, pondering how the visit will go. The lady on the radio is saying something about how they've found a way for blue-markers to not have pain when doing domestic work, a breakthrough in modern medicine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMMENTS PLEASE I LOVE ATTENTION and talking to people is FUN. I hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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